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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Hello everyone! I have recently found myself with a little extra time on my hands what with the flooding going on in my town and subsequent road, school, and business closures...so I gladly bring you the first of a special series on online retail and consignment :)

All items seen in the pictures are from ThredUp. These are not the only items which I own that came from there, just a snapshot. I unfortunately do not have pictures of items I have sold to them.

One of the topics I get asked about frequently is online consigning: buying and selling clothing which is lightly used (sometimes new!) through apps or websites. This is what would I consider to be one of my hobbies and something I have gotten relatively good at over the years and it is something which I thought would be best tackled in separate posts to truly do justice to all the companies out there.

I will attempt to list out only important basics and let you decide how to use that information as you play around with these apps and websites and find your groove and form your own opinion. I want to note that though these companies are not paying me currently to write about them, I am not against the idea of partnering with them at a future date.

If you are familiar with the classic consignment store business model, ThredUp does this with a 21st century twist.

How it Works (Seller Side):

ThredUp sends you a free giant bag in the mail to fill with your gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories (they currently only accept women's, juniors', and children's items...sorry dudes). Keep in mind they prefer certain brands but will really accept anything in good condition that could still be considered "in style".

The company assesses the potential value of your items and offers you a price should you accept it (there is an option where they send you back all your stuff if you are unhappy with their offer).

You get a payout even before your items sell and you are guaranteed a payout which is something that I consider to be a HUGE plus to doing business with ThredUp.

You also have the option of cashing in your offer for a higher amount of store credit, which leads me to discuss some things I have noticed as a shopper there

The Shopper Pros/Cons

Pro: a wide selection, this is great if you are looking for anything from basics to that killer pair of aztec print jeggings (as seen above)

Pro: great ways to filter by size, style, color, etc...basically anything you can think of

Pro: merchandise is easy to see, all pictures are well lit with a neutral background,and pertinent information about each item is listed as the workers are meticulous when assessing the clothing coming in

Pro-Con: depending on your tastes and life stage this observation of mine can really be either. When ThredUp had just begun I feel like their selection and styles available reflected more of what I personally like (funky, eclectic stuff), as it has grown I have noticed that it now tends to favor a more mature and somewhat preppy style. That is not to say you can't find some awesome boho/edgy/funky stuff, you just have to have patience and know what you're looking for.

Pro-Con: you do have to pay for shipping if your order is under a certain monetary amount. However, the shipping is not unreasonable at all, and for the minimum amount (last I ordered it was $75 to get free shipping, in the past it was $50, I think it might also depend on what deals they are running) you can get quite a haul of good stuff, think, several outfits.

Con: a wide selection. I know this is also listed in the Pro section, and bear with me, sometimes you just want to narrow stuff down and it becomes impossible when you are looking through heaping mounds of clothes. Some people get overwhelmed by the hunt, I live for the thrill of it...just know that there is a TON of stuff to sift through on here.

Con: I have noticed lately that sometimes the price points are not as desirable as I feel they should be for consigned clothes. A lot of the stuff on here is designer and therefore retains its value. This I feel is also subjective based on personal circumstances, but the prices have gone up over time as a general rule with ThredUp.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

I highly recommend sending in items when you know you have a lot to send in and you are just overall cleaning out and you don't mind not receiving a huge payout for it. The positive here vs other websites where you put up a classified for each item is that you are guaranteed a payout and it is immediate.

I recommend subscribing to their emails so you stay informed on the deals they are running

When shopping look for items that are name brand/quality/designer and look for it in the lower price range areas (they have a "basement" section which is like their clearance, a "last chance" section, and a filter for price range and brand). I usually don't care at all about brand, but keep in mind that if you're paying for something at what I consider a mid-range consignment price plus a shipping fee you may as well make it something that might last a little more than the Forever21 graphic tee (I love them, just saying...).

Have you ever tried ThredUp? Did you love it? Which online consigner would you like me to feature next?